Computer devices, in particular personal computer devices, enter a low power or standby mode when a user has not operated the computer for a defined period of time. This is sometimes referred to as a standby or low power mode.
The low power or standby mode is often referred to as the “sleep” or “hibernate” mode, where the computer cuts or attempts to reduce the provision of power to superfluous areas of the computing device and allow a user to resume working or operating a machine from the standby mode without having to go through an extended reboot process.
Entering a low power mode on a computer device will provide power savings. However, users may find such entry to be inconvenient, especially when it is unexpected. Since the delay period for entering standby is typically set by the user this often results in users setting extended time frames for the low power mode to be entered resulting in a significant delay before the onset of the power saving functionality.
Typically, a computer device will determine when to enter a low power mode based on a time period for which user input, usually in the form of keyboard or mouse use, is absent. Since a computer may be in use without such user input, this may lead to unexpected and unwanted activation of the low power mode. Such an occurrence is likely to prompt a user to disable the low power mode or at least to extend the time period before it is entered.
In a business environment, it is not uncommon for users to disable the standby power mode, preferring the convenience of having the computer always on and ready to use without the need to provide user input (keyboard or mouse use) to stop the computer entering into the standby mode when the user does not wish this to happen. The issue of unwanted entry into the standby mode is magnified when a user is working on the computer but not providing user input, such as when watching or giving a presentation such as a slide show or when involved in video conferencing.